The present invention is directed to a vehicle seat that has an easy access seat dumping mechanism with full memory which allows the seat to be moved to a forward access position and then returned to a memory position upon return of the seat from the forward access position and which does not interfere with the fore and aft movement of the seat during a normal comfort adjustment thereof.
Such seats frequently include a seat cushion assembly for supporting an occupant when seated thereon, a seat back assembly for supporting the back of an occupant seated on the seat cushion assembly, and a mounting assembly mounting the seat back assembly on the seat cushion assembly for movement between an operative position and a forwardly dumped access position generally overlying the cushion assembly. A fixed track assembly is attached to a vehicle and a movable track assembly carrying the seat cushion assembly is movably supported by the fixed track assembly for movement between a forward access position and a rearward position. A releasable track locking assembly is movable between a track locking position for locking the movable track assembly with respect to the fixed track assembly and a track releasing position for allowing adjustment of the movable track assembly between fore and aft positions with respect to the fixed track assembly.
Various rear entry seat assemblies are known in the prior art which include this combination of elements. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,182 to Tamura, 4,852,846 to Weir, U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,774 to Bradley et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,356 to Pipon et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,092 to Sovis, and British Patent No. 2 286 522. Many such assemblies utilize the same interlocking abutments for both the normal seat adjustment and the memory latching mechanism which compounds wear on the abutments. The Bradley et al ""774 patent isolates or separates the normal seat adjustment latching mechanism from the memory latching mechanism by utilizing a separate track with abutments for coacting with a memory latching mechanism. In other words, a memory track is fixed with respect to the fixed track assembly and a memory slide is fixed with respect to the memory track. The British ""522 patent discloses a memory device having a memory latching mechanism which engages and disengages a memory slide mounted within a track assembly. The track assembly also includes a track locking device for securing a movable track portion to a fixed track portion. During normal incremental adjustment of the track assembly, the memory latching mechanism engages and disengages the memory slide along with the track locking assembly. In other words, both the memory latching mechanism and the track locking device engage and disengage the memory track and the fixed track, respectively, during each and every adjustment of the seat. The repeated engagement of the memory latching mechanism increases the wear of the memory device such that the device may become ineffective. In addition, there must be sufficient force applied to the memory device each time the track assembly is adjusted in order to ensure that the memory feature will be implemented.
It remains an objective in such assemblies to reduce friction and wear and the separation of the normal seat adjustment latching mechanism from the memory latching mechanism is a step in that direction. However, there is a continuing effort to reduce the friction and the resulting effort to move such seat assemblies and particularly in the operation of the parasitic friction of the additional or separate memory latching mechanism utilizing the separate memory track.
The subject invention provides an easy access vehicle seat with smooth operation and reduced friction and wear. A seat back assembly for supporting the back of an occupant is mounted to a seat cushion assembly for supporting an occupant when seated thereon and for movement between an operative position and a forwardly dumped access position generally overlying the seat cushion assembly. A fixed track assembly for attachment to a vehicle movably supports a movable track assembly carrying the seat cushion assembly for movement between a forward access position and a rearward position. A releasable track locking assembly is movable between a track locking position for locking the movable track assembly with respect to the fixed track assembly and a track releasing position for allowing adjustment of the movable track assembly between fore and aft positions with respect to the fixed track assembly. A memory track is fixed with respect to the fixed track assembly and a memory slide is fixed with respect to the memory track. A memory latch is supported by a slide block slidably engaging the memory track. The memory latch is movable between a memory position and an adjustment position. The memory latch is uncoupled from the movable track assembly and interlocks with the memory track while in the memory position thereby limiting independent return travel of the seat cushion, and coupled to the movable track assembly and disengaged from the memory track while in the adjustment position enabling the adjustment of the movable track assembly.
Accordingly, the subject invention provides a separate memory latching mechanism which is fabricated to reduce friction and wear by utilizing a slide block to spread out the wearing surface with the memory slide.